This invention relates to a hair brush of the type having a member slidably moveable along the bristles thereof, for the purpose of cleaning the brush by removing hair therefrom.
Hair brushes of this type, for use on both humans and animals, are well known in the art. Such brushes are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,865 to Morrison; U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,703 to the inventor in the present application, U.S. Pat. No. 2,529,927 to Fisk; U.S. Pat. No. 3,108,305 to Peilet; U.S. Pat. No. 3,110,053 to Surabian; U.S. Pat. No. 1,290,554 to Healey; U.S. Pat. No. 1,050,103 to Clemens; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,164,204 to Mullett et al.
In the arrangement of Fisk a foraminous cleaning plate 11 has holes through which the bristles extend. The cleaning plate is slidably movable along the bristles, and is prevented from being removed from the ends of the bristles by hooks 13 which are secured to opposite ends of the cleaning plate and which also engage the base of the brush. The other arrangements described in the aforementioned references (other than the prior patent of the inventor herein) similarly employ various mechanisms to limit the movement of the cleaning plate, and some employ additional mechanisms to return the cleaning plate to its rest position adjacent the base of the brush.
Such prior art arrangements are relatively complex and expensive to manufacture, and are susceptible to jamming and other mechanical malfunctions.
In the inventor's prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,703 a laminated cleaning plate is used which has a resilient layer with holes that tightly grip the bristles but which enlarge when moved to the bristle tips, so that the plate can be removed from the bristles while preventing strands of hair from staying on the bristles. However, this arrangement is not as easy to use as is desired, and requires a considerable amount of force to be applied to remove the cleaning plate. It is not suitable for making a hair brush with bristles which are not all parallel to each other, but which extend outward in a generally radial manner, as if preferred by most users of hair brushes.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved hair brush including effective hair removal means which is easy to operate.